Kids Konnection for November 2008

Hot off the presses, the November issue of Orange County Jewish Life magazine has just come out. I'll start by posting my Kids Konnection column for November. I'll try to post one every day or every other day until I get all the back ones posted. I think I stopped posting them in about June. Then, hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to include them as a sidebar link to this blog and you can click on them when you want to! Or, feel free to go to the magazine's website -- www.ocjewishlife.com -- and you can read the current issue on line or do a search for me and find ALL of my columns!

Kids Konnection: Being Thankful During Uncertain Times by Barbara Boarnet

In these times of economic uncertainty and financial crisis, no one is left untouched.We are affected even if our jobs are secure, because our friends, neighbors or family might not be so lucky. We are affected even if we don’t have much to lose in the stock market, because what the markets do affects so many other things. We are affected even if our bank accounts are at a comfortable level, because everything is more expensive right now. We are affected even if we are not losing our home, because everyone’s home is losing value. Everyone is worried about the state of the economy, and no one is untouched.As we approach Thanksgiving this month, it is hard to feel grateful and appreciative with stress and worry upon us.

But, in my view, there are no times better than tough times to focus on the good in our lives. Even if times are tough, there are many things for which we can be thankful.We can be thankful for our homes. We can and should enjoy the beauty, the comfort, and the security of our homes, not to mention all of our fun gadgets like television, computer, music, and video games.If money is tight and a vacation isn’t in the plans this year, stay home and appreciate the wonderful things that we never have time for like board games, outdoor play, sitting by the fire, and smelling the roses in our garden. Two, we can be thankful for the good health of our families and ourselves. If you are suffering from health issues that are in your power to change, now is an excellent time to concentrate on doing that. Three, we can be thankful for each other: our spouses and children, our parents and grandparents, our extended families, our friends, and our communities. This Thanksgiving is a good time for all of us to remind ourselves to appreciate our families and friends and to show them how grateful we are for their presence in our lives.

We also can incorporate Judaism into our Thanksgiving celebrations to make the holiday even more meaningful and spiritual.Most Jewish families celebrate Thanksgiving the same way that non-Jewish families do. Some historians have proposed that the first Thanksgiving meal was modeled after the pilgrimage festival of Sukkot, which, coincidentally, comes near the time as the secular “fall harvest” holidays. Giving thanks has always been an important part of Judaism, from reciting blessings after meals to thanking God for the creation of the world and our many blessings in it. American Jews are thankful for their acceptance into the safe haven of American society.Thanksgiving presents a perfect opportunity to perform mitzvot, or, good deeds. Giving tzedakah or helping those less fortunate than ourselves is a classic Jewish way to show our appreciation for our own good blessings. Thanksgiving is a perfect time to donate food to an organization that fights hunger, adopt a family, volunteer at a community charity, or invite someone to your home.A second way to add a Jewish element to our Thanksgiving celebration is to treat the Thanksgiving dinner as a festive meal similar to Passover. Saying the Hebrew blessings over the wine and bread and adding some words of Torah, as well as reciting the Birkat HaMazon (prayer of grace after meals), and combining Hebrew songs of thanks after dinner with our traditional American folk songs, all link the holiday to our Jewish heritage and customs. A nice project for the children would be to create a “Thanksgiving Seder Plate,” which could feature objects that signify things for which they are personally thankful.

Yes, times are tough and yes, I, too, am worried about how this financial crisis will affect our lives. But as Thanksgiving approaches, every day I am thankful for the good that we have in our lives, and will welcome the opportunity to incorporate some of these ideas into our Thanksgiving holiday this year to help show my appreciation to God for our many blessings.